The Great War Test

• World War I saw the introduction of new technologies

Airplanes

• Originally used for reconnaissance (gathering information) and artillery spotting
• Eventually, fighter planes were developed and outfitted with machine guns for battles.
• Fighter planes were small, light, highly maneuverable, and could easily shoot down Zeppelins.
• By the war's end, planes were developed to accurately drop bombs on targets on the ground.

Machine Guns

• Average rate of fire was 600 rounds per minute, nearly doubled by the end of the war.
• The machine gun was the most efficient killing weapon of its time.
• Machine guns made it almost impossible for opposing armies to cross no-man's-land
• Took several men to operate: one to fire, one to load, one to fetch ammunition, and 2-3 to carry the gun and mount.

Gas

• Germany first used poison gas, but both sides used it throughout the war.
• Chlorine gas caused choking and vomiting and could be fatal if soldiers inhaled too much.
• Deadly phosgene and mustard gas were later deployed
• Gas was an inhumane weapon that caused an extremely painful death.
• Gas killed under 100,000 soldiers and injured approximately 1,000,000.
• Gas did not result in any decisive victories for either side.
• 68,000 tons of gas was released by the Germans.
• 51,000 tons of gas was released by the French and the British.
• A total of 1,200,000 soldiers were gassed on both sides.

Tanks

• Tanks were one of the most important innovations of WWI,
• Tanks could grind over no man's land and barbed wire effortlessly.
• Barbed wire was a major obstacle for troops trying to pass through no-man’s-land.
• Tanks were first used in the Battle of the Somme.
• The tank's average speed was only about 4-5 mph.
• By the end of the war, the tank played a critical role in breaking the deadlock of trench warfare.

U-Boats

• Germans called them U-boats.
• The German U-boat fleet sank navy ships and merchant supply ships.
• German submarines sank over 5,000 ships during World War I.
• At the start of the war, Germany had only 28 U-boats.
• At their peak, the German fleet numbered only 140.

Zeppelins

• Zeppelins were airships, now known as blimps
• Zeppelins were up to 650 feet long
• Zeppelins would slip through the night sky silently and release bombs on unsuspecting cities.
• Zeppelins were vulnerable to air attacks by fighter planes and bad weather and were relatively slow-moving.

US Enters the War

• The U.S. joined the war effort in April 1917 due to German U-boats engaging in unrestricted submarine warfare by sinking all ships regardless of origin or type.
• The Lusitania and Zimmerman Telegram events led to the arrival of fresh U.S. troops to aid in fighting the Germans.
• The first frontline action for U.S. troops occurred in October 1917.
• Germany launched a major offensive on the Western Front in the spring of 1918, aiming to win the war before the increasing numbers of American troops arrived in Europe.

October 1917

• The Russian Revolution took place.
• Tsar Nicholas II was overthrown by Russians in March.
• Lenin established the first communist government and withdrew from the conflict in October.
• The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk resulted from Russia surrendering territory to Germany to exit the war.
• Territory included Poland, Lithuania, and Ukraine.

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

• Richard von Kuhlmann, the German Foreign Minister, signed this treaty.
• Leon Trotsky, the Bolshevik Commissar for Foreign Affairs.
• Count Ottokar Czernin, the Austro-Hungarian Foreign Minister.

Germany in 1917

• Germany had only the Western Front.
• Germany was in crisis because Austria and Turkey were near collapse, and fresh U.S. troops were on their way.
• Thousands of German troops poured into France attempting to secure a victory before the Americans arrived.

Spanish Flu

• In 1918, the flu spread as American troops headed to Europe for the final offensives of World War I.
• Spread as thousands of veterans returned home.
• The flu circled the globe in four months, leading to over 21 million deaths.
• 50,000 Canadians died.

The Last Hundred Days

• On August 8, 1918, Canadian forces spearheaded the final attacks on Germany.
• This period became known as "Canada's Last Hundred Days."
• General Currie led the Canadian forces in an attack on Amiens showing considerable success.
• By the end of the first day, the Canadian forces pushed the Germans back by 13 km.
• The war started near Amiens, France, and ended near Mons, Belgium.

November 11, 1918

• The Allies eventually reclaimed France and Belgium.
• Germany formally surrendered on November 11, 1918, at 11:00 am, ending World War I.
• Remembrance Day is held on November 11 each year to honor fallen soldiers from past conflicts.

The Terms

• Rhineland was to be demilitarized.
• Germany lost all overseas territories and colonies.
• Germany lost land to France and Poland.

Other Terms

• War Guilt Clause stated Germany had to accept total responsibility for starting the war and all damages.
• Germany had to pay the Allies $132 billion gold marks mostly for the damages inflicted on France and Belgium.
• Military restrictions included the army not exceeding 100,000 men.
• Germany was not allowed to have an air force or submarines.
• Only six battleships were allowed.

Positive Impacts

• Canada won international respect and took an important position on the world stage.
• Canadian industry and agriculture boomed due to increased wartime production.
• Canadian women received the right to vote.
• Canada was granted two seats at the peace negotiations.
• Canada signed the peace treaty and became an independent nation, not a colony of Britain.

Negative Impacts

• Almost 1/3 of all Canadian enlistments were causalities, with 61,326 dead and 172,950 wounded.
• French and English-speaking Canadians were divided over conscription.
• The War Measures Act led to Canadians shipping innocent people to labor camps and losing basic freedoms to government control.
• National debt went from $463 million in 1913 to $2.46 billion by 1918.
• Treaty of Versailles covers the conditions imposed on Germany after World War I.

Reparations

• Germany was required to pay £6,600,000,000 to the Allies.
• The payment was designated to cover the damage caused during the war.

German Territory

• Germany had to give up over 70,000 square kilometers of land to the Allies.
• The Allies divided this land among the countries within Europe.

Overseas Territory

• Germany had to hand over all of its colonies to the Allies.
• All territories Germany controlled in Africa and other parts of the world were transferred to the Allies.

German Armed Forces

• The army was restricted to a maximum of 100,000 men.
• Conscription was forbidden.
• The navy was limited to 15,000 sailors.

Limited Production of Weaponry

• Germany was not allowed to have an air force or submarines.
• It was allowed to have only 6 battleships.

The Rhineland

• The Rhineland was to be occupied by Allied troops to give France greater security.
• No German troops were allowed into the Rhineland area.

Article 231

• Germany had to accept total responsibility for starting the war.
• Article 231 is known as the "War Guilt Clause".

New Countries

• After the war, new countries were formed or recognized:
  • Austria
  • Hungary
  • Poland
  • Latvia
  • Czechoslovakia
  • Lithuania
  • Yugoslavia
  • Estonia